It has previously been proposed to facilitate opening of folded products by forming a fold or crease line which does not extend entirely across the width of the folded product, so that, at the end portions, a somewhat open loop or bend will form. Projecting tongues or other elements can be introduced into this open bend, to later on permit opening the products again without introducing a marker strip or a holding strip from one side of the products. Such a system is shown in European Patent 0 250 758. The arrangement, however, does not permit folded products to be opened which arrive on a transport belt system in imbricated or shingled form. Specifically, the arrangement does not permit to open these folded products and, then, transfer them in spread-apart form to a subsequent transport and storage system which, for example, has individual pockets for individual ones of the folded printed products. This pocket system may, for example, be in form of an accordion-like pocket arrangement, so that the pockets can be spread apart to receive the folded products, and later on compressed for compact storage.
It has also been proposed, see European Patent 0 169 490, to grip folded sheets or packages of folded sheets on the leading folding back and then, with a back gripper, to grasp a fold end strip, and to open the folded sheet with centrifugal force. This system requires an opening or overfold strip, which increases the total paper consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,865, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes a transport device for folded products in which a belt or a chain runs in parallel to a transport belt system, the belt or chain being supplied with projecting finger or tongue elements which can laterally engage against the sheet or package of sheets in advance of the folding jaw cylinder, and which, then, can open the folded product in a path along the transport device. The path is comparatively long. This arrangement does not permit spreading apart folded products which are transported in shingled or imbricated form, and to then feed these products, as spread, to a subsequent storage or handling system.